Inferno: New Excerpt

Nick has his driver’s license and he’s not afraid to use it. But turning sixteen isn’t what he thought it would be. While other boys his age are worried about prom dates and applying for college, Nick is neck deep in enemies out to stop him from living another day. No longer sure if he can trust anyone, his only ally seems to be the one person he’s been told will ultimately kill him.

But life spent serving the undead is anything except ordinary. And those out to get him have summoned an ancient force so powerful even the gods fear it. As Nick learns to command and control the elements, the one he must master in order to combat his latest foe is the one most likely to destroy him. As the old proverb goes, fire knows nothing of mercy, and if Nick is to survive this latest round, he will have to sacrifice a part of himself. However, the best sacrifice is seldom the sanest move. Sometimes it’s the one that leaves your enemies confused.

Get a sneak peek of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Inferno (available April 9, 2013) with a brand-new excerpt from Chapter 2.

Nick couldn’t let that one thought go. It was horrifying to think that he could cause something so deadly with nothing more than a single random thought.

My powers are growing.

But not his ability to control them...

If anything, that was getting worse, and they were exploding all over the place without any warning or reason whatsoever.

Power without control is worthless—Acheron’s favorite saying. At least it was Ash’s pet phrase any time Nick got behind the wheel and laid into the accelerator.

Damn it, Nick! You’ve got to learn to go slow and not rush off into traffic at warp ten, especially not when it’s heading straight for you! Acheron’s other fave rant where he was concerned.

In the past, Nick had ignored those warnings. Now...The image of Stone bursting into ﬂames was seared in his mind. Of course the burnt smell of Stone’s werewolf hair hadn’t really dissipated from the room. It clung to the air with a brutal reminder of what Nick had unconsciously done. One nanosecond of lapsed judgment and he’d almost killed someone. Granted, Stone was a jerk, but he didn’t deserve to die for it.

At least not today.

Nick would have to ride herd on himself after this, lest he do some real damage to someone.

Suddenly, the bell rang, startling him from his thoughts. Nick jumped around a foot in his seat at the unexpected sound. Talk about looking stupid. Just what he wanted. Another reason to look awkward in front of his peers.

Caleb arched a brow at him. “You all right?”

“You didn’t see another shadow, did you?” Nekoda asked in a hushed tone. A question he well understood, since the last shadow he’d seen had been a demon that one of his classmates had unleashed to wreak havoc with all their lives. Havoc he was still neck-deep in. While he’d been cleared of all the false charges Dina had made against him, rumors about the whole godawful situation that had led to his being handcuffed and hauled off school property abounded, and they clung to him with the tenacity of Velcro.

That thought didn’t help his mood at all.

Nick narrowed his gaze on the necklace he’d given her. “The only demon I see right now is you, Kody.”

She stiffened. “That’s not fair.”

“Neither is pretending to be my girlfriend while you’re sizing me up for a body bag.” He jammed his book into his backpack, then turned to glare at Caleb. “Did you know about that?”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about the fact that Kody’s an assassin sent in to kill me.”

Caleb went full-on into protection mode, letting Nick know that Caleb had been as clueless about her true intentions as him. At least Caleb isn’t in on it. That made him feel a little better.

He put himself between Nick and Kody. “Is that true?” he growled.

Kody glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them before she answered. “It’s not that simple, Malphas. I was sent to stop him from becoming what he’s supposed to be.”

Caleb scoffed. “Yeah, Nick, that sounds like killing orders to me.”

Kody tried to step around him, but Caleb refused to let her pass.

“We’re enemies, Nekoda. My job is to protect him from all threats. And now that clearly means you.”

“You can’t be serious.” She looked past Caleb’s massive shoulder. “Nick? Is this really what you want?”

“No. What I wanted was a normal girlfriend who only talks about shopping and fashion, and crap I don’t care about. I have enough enemies moving in at my back. Last thing I need to do is put someone there I know intends to take a shot at me sooner or later.” He jerked his backpack up and slung it over his shoulder. “We’re done.”

Sherrilyn Kenyon continues to top every genre she writes. With more than 25 million copies of her books in print in more than one hundred countries, her current series include The Dark-Hunters, The League, Chronicles of Nick, and Belador.